"Do you not like it?" Ate Yuri asked, eyeing me as I toyed with the beef steak on my plate. The soft glow of the dining room lights illuminated our surroundings, casting shadows across the table.
I remained silent, choosing to ignore her.
"Here," she said, pushing a bowl of fruit salad towards me. "You like this, right? Eat."
Not bothering to look at what was in front of me, I absentmindedly prodded at the salad with my spoon, picking at the berries. The room felt tense, the air thick with unspoken tension.
Eating together with the three of us felt uncomfortable, and I regretted not insisting on going home when my sister offered. Not trusting her decision, I had opted to stay the night, unsure of what else to do. Rina San had placed me here to get help, but it seemed to be turning out differently. Was I making the right choice by staying?
"So, have you finally decided?" A familiar voice pierced through the air, causing me to cringe. Ignoring it, I continued to fiddle with the berries.
"Mom! We're eating. Leave that for later," Ate Yuri interjected firmly, her tone carrying a hint of frustration.
"It's now or never, Yuri," my mother retorted, her tone firm. "Since you've been friends with my doctor, Rina, you've been stubborn and not doing what I told you. So don't bother me when I'm talking to my your brother."
Turning her attention to me, she addressed me directly. "Son, have you made up your mind?"
Son? I bristled at the term. I had no desire to be her son, I'm grateful enough just for not knowing her before.
"About my plan," she insisted, focusing solely on her agenda and my role in it. My temples began to throb, and my grip on the spoon tightened. I couldn't bear it any longer, so I stood up abruptly and headed for the door, determined to ignore her.
As I made my way out, she unleashed another barrage of words, stoking the flames of my frustration. "I'm talking to you, you should answer me! Don't be disrespectful; I'm your mother!"
Turning back as I focused my sight onto the ground, I felt my anger simmering beneath the surface, her voice buzzing in my ears like an annoying swarm of bees. "Hey..." I muttered, unable to contain my exasperation.
The weight of her shitty talk bore down on me, and I couldn't hold back any longer. "Am I really your son?" I questioned, my voice tinged with doubt.
"Of course," she replied without hesitation.
Her response ignited a fire within me, and I met her gaze head-on, no longer avoiding her scrutiny. "Do you even think of me as your son or tool?" I erupted, the words pouring out in a torrent of pent-up frustration. "It's just been fucking eight years since we saw each other and that's what the first thing you'll ask and what? You don't even care about me your own son! Not even asking me how am I, what happened to me, am I alright? I...I" My fists clenched at my sides, my emotions threatening to overwhelm me. "I just... I just almost died just a few days ago, someone abducted me and is after my life without even knowing why! And what's worse?"
"You didn't even try to ask if I'm doing fine, if I'm alright and didn't even tell me or ask me how I feel..."
"...My mother? I didn't even know your name, Why? You didn't tell me and get straight to your fucking business looking all cool saying you don't beat around the bush? And now you're wondering why I didn't asked? Because I..I don't want to fucking know it!"
My voice rose to a crescendo as I poured out my grievances, unleashing all my frustrations onto her face.
"You!.." looking at me with her annoyed face I couldn't care and continued.
"And did you really think that when you met a person just a few moments and you'll ask them a favor they would say, ah yes, I'm very grateful for getting ask a favor from you and I'll gratefully accept it, is that what you fucking think huh!"
I snapped and with a final resounding slam of the table, the food scattered in a chaotic mess. Without another word, I stormed out of the room
***
*Creak..
As I heard my room open, I braced myself for another confrontation.
"Matsuki," Ate Yuri's voice filled the room, tinged with a mix of apology and concern.
"Mother," she paused, " she's been like this since father died, I'm sorry for lying about everything I know...if I were you I guess
you wouldn't wanna trust me again but, about what you said, that you got kidnapped and almost died..."
"...Is that true, I... I'm sorry I didn't know and, I thought everything is alright, I'm sorry it was my fault, I didn't tell and now you two are fighting...Maybe I should've... Rina San also said something about it, I thought it was just.."
Before she could finished, feeling the pillow on the back of my head as I am shoved to bed, "Just leave me alone," I asked her to leave, my voice barely above a whisper.
" Okay, but drink this," Ate Yuri said softly, her voice tinged with worry. "Rina San asked me to give you this medicine. I'll be leaving then." And with that, she silently left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
***
Sighed, what's with this kind of situation?
I pondered over the situation as I lay on the bed. A little notebook on the desk beside caught my attention.
"What's this?" I mused aloud, noticing a name poorly written on the cover: "Motemeru Shikawa, Takumi Mori, Kira Miyoko?"
Curiosity piqued, I opened it. The first page was filled with a huge heart and a mess of red colors, with the word "PROMISE" scribbled onto it.
As I delicately traced the worn pages, a faint sense of familiarity washed over me. "Is this supposed to be something like I've read before, a promise between childhood friends?" I wondered, mingling with the uncertainty clouding my mind. The vibrant scarlet hues danced before my eyes, each stroke of the crayon imbuing the pages with emotion.
The drawings within formed a tapestry of crimson, spanning through the pages. I halted when a certain page caught my eye. Three figures stood out against the scarlet backdrop – an image of three kids, displaying their accessories to the camera with smiles.
In the center of the drawing, a boy held aloft a delicate bracelet. "Wait... Isn't this the bracelet I received from my father?" I pondered aloud, searching through my pockets for it. "This... it has the same triangle geometry design."
As I returned to the picture, I noticed a girl with scarlet eyes clasping a necklace around her neck to the left. "This... This is the necklace Kira always wears," I remarked.
To the right, a girl proudly wore a ring. "Is this supposed to be Takumi? Her features are so different from now; her hair is black here... but now she has white hair."
As I gazed upon the picture, a sense of uncertainty and confusion washed over me as I read the bold text near it: "NO ONE IS GONNA BE LEFT ALONE, THE THREE OF US WILL BE TOGETHER, WE'LL MARRY EACH OTHER."
Closing the notebook with a heavy heart, I realized that these memories were lost to me forever. But... What the hell? Takumi? If we were that close before... how come...you could you do that to me?
***
It's been several hours since then, and I still couldn't sleep. Is this homesickness? I can't help but think about Takumi and everything else... Did my past self do something unforgivable to Takumi?
Sighed once again, I asked to myself, just what's really going on?
I pondered as I stared at the ceiling, I couldn't deny that this room was pretty neat, just what you'd expect from wealthy people. If I accepted her condition and went along with her plan, I'd be sleeping every day in a place like this... It's not bad, but... I don't think that's quite the answer right now.
Someone is after my life. Could I really just live comfortably and ignore them? That woman doesn't seem nice enough to help me... Why do they even want to kill me so badly? Did I do something wrong to them? Or is the simple fact that I'm alive wrong for them? Thinking about it only makes my head ache. What have I gotten myself involved in?
Wait, is the one who's after me the same person who's behind my father's death? If it really is, then the one that old hag talked about, who might be behind my father's death... is the one after me? Or are they different people? This is driving me nuts...
There's Takumi, then Kira is still unconscious, and now someone is after my life... Really, so much for... This is such a mess! I'm just a high-schooler; I just wanted to take my time with Kira and deal with her, and now I find myself in this unbelievable situation... Ugh! Please, just let this be a dream!
This is... just unfair. I want to go home...
As those thoughts echoed in my head, I came to a realization. Huh? Can't I just do that? Right, my life isn't half bad compared to the luxury in this house. If I just go back, pretend I didn't exist, and not get involved with this, they will not mess with me, right? That's right, I'll just go home.
With my mind made up, I packed my belongings and managed to slip out. I went out, heading back to my peaceful house, not knowing what awaits me in the future. The thought that made up that decision would soon turn my life upside down.
While humming and trying to forget everything, I paused. Yeah, just like before... I'm running again.
I stopped for a moment, contemplating, "Is running away the only thing I can do?" Taking my time with Kira... I don't think that's possible, considering that Kira hasn't even woken up. Then... How about Takumi? The real reason I'm in this state is basically because of her... Why can't I just decide to take my revenge on her? She's the one guilty after all... Can I even do that? Facing Takumi again...
As my mind was full of thoughts about Takumi, I found myself standing in front of my house. Nah, stretching my feet and arms out, I decided what to do when I found myself standing in front of my house, "let's just rest!"
*Bang bang*
Out of nowhere, the silence shattered by two sharp bangs.
"Duck!" A female voice cried out, and the thunder of gunfire filled the air, catching me completely off guard.